About Andrew Pickens

A Patriot of the American Revolution for SOUTH CAROLINA with the rank of BRIGADIER GENERAL. DAR Ancestor # A090968

Andrew Pickens (September 13, 1739 – August 11, 1817) was a militia leader in the American Revolution and a member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina.

Early life

Pickens was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the son of Scots-Irish immigrants, Andrew Pickens, Sr. and Anne (née Davis). His great grandfather was Robert Andrew Pickens (Picon) and his great-grandmother however was Esther-Jeanne Bonneau of South Carolina and La Rochelle, France.

In 1752 his family moved to the Waxhaws on the South Carolina frontier. He sold his farm there in 1764 and bought land in Abbeville County, South Carolina near the Georgia border.

He established the Hopewell Plantation on the Seneca River, at which several treaties with Native Americans were held, each called the Treaty of Hopewell. Just across the river was the Cherokee town of Isunigu ("Seneca").

Andrew Pickens' grave marker at Old Stone Church cemetery[edit] Military career

He served in the Anglo-Cherokee War in 1760–1761. When the Revolutionary War started, he sided with the rebel militia, and was made a captain. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General during the war.

On February 14, 1779, he was part of the militia victory at the Battle of Kettle Creek in Georgia.

Pickens was captured at the Siege of Charleston on 1780. He saw action at the Battle of Cowpens, Siege of Augusta, Siege of Ninety-Six, and the Battle of Eutaw Springs.

Pickens also led a campaign in north Georgia against the Cherokee Indians late in the war. His victorious campaign led to the Cherokees ceding significant portions of land between the Savannah and Chattachoochee rivers in the Long Swamp Treaty signed in what is currently Pickens County, Georgia. Pickens was well regarded by Native Americans that he dealt with and was given the name Skyagunsta, "The Wizard Owl."

He and three hundred of his men went home to sit out the war on parole.

Pickens' parole did not last however. After ry raiders destroyed most of his property and frightened his family, he informed the British that they had violated the terms of parole and rejoined the war. Ironically, Sumter also resumed fighting under similar circumstances. Pickens was soon operating in the Ninety-Six District. During this period of the war, Pickens would join Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter as the most well-known partisan leaders in the Carolinas.

Cowpens, South Carolina: January 17, 1781:

At the Battle of foster Cowpens, Brig. General Daniel Morgan gave Pickens command of the militia, which played a key role in the battle. On the evening of January 16, Morgan personally instructed the militia to hold its ground while firing two rounds and then retreat. On the morning of January 17, Pickens and the militia carried out the plan perfectly, which led Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton and British to believe that the militia was fleeing. The British blinding charged ahead and were drawn into a double flanking and soundly defeated. .Following Cowpens, South Carolina Governor John Rutledge promoted Pickens to brigadier general. He would also be awarded a sword by Congress.

Augusta, Georgia: May 22-June 5, 1781:

Pickens' militia was soon recalled to defend their own homes and so he missed the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781. In April, he raised a regiments of state regulars. In May 1781, Maj. General Nathanael Greene sent Pickens and Lt. Colonel Henry Lee to support Elijah Clarke in operations against Augusta, Georgia. The siege began on May 22 and after maneuvering, securing outposts and the cutting off of reinforcements by the Patriots, Colonel Thomas Brown surrendered Augusta on June 5, 1781.

Ninety-Six, South Carolina: May 22-June 19, 1781:

Following the surrender of Augusta, Pickens and Lt. Colonel Lee joined General Greene in his siege at Ninety-Six, South Carolina. Greene had begun his siege on May 22, 1781, the same day that Augusta had been besieged. On June 11, Greene ordered Pickens and Lt. Colonel William Washington to aid Thomas Sumter in blocking a relief column led by Lord Rawdon. However, Sumter instead moved to Fort Granby, allowing Rawdon to make his way to Ninety-Six. On June 19, Greene had to give up the siege and retreat after a failed assault.

Family and death

He married Rebecca Floride Calhoun in 1765. They had 12 children, including Andrew Pickens who later became governor of South Carolina. He was also an uncle of Floride Calhoun, the wife of John C. Calhoun.

Andrew Pickens died near Tamassee, South Carolina in Oconee County, on August 11, 1817. He is buried at Old Stone Church Cemetery in Clemson, South Carolina.

Memorials

Fort Pickens in Florida is named in his honor as is Pickens County, Alabama, Pickens County, Georgia, and Pickens and Pickens County in his adopted home state of South Carolina.

Pickens was a 7th great grandfather of former Senator and 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards.

He is also the namesake of Pickens High School.

The Patriot

Pickens and his actions served as one of the sources for the fictional character of Benjamin Martin in The Patriot, a motion picture released in 2000

Pickens was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the son of Scots-Irish immigrants, Andrew Pickens, Sr. and Anne Davis. His great grandfather was Robert Andrew Pickens (Picon) and his great-grandmother was Esther Jeanne Bonneau of South Carolina and La Rochelle, France.

In 1752 his family moved to the Waxhaws on the South Carolina frontier. He sold his farm there in 1764 and bought land in Abbeville County, South Carolina near the Georgia border.

He established the Hopewell Plantation on the Seneca River, at which several treaties with Native Americans were negotiated, each called the Treaty of Hopewell. Just across the river was the Cherokee town of Isunigu ("Seneca").

He served in the Anglo-Cherokee War in 1760–1761. When the Revolutionary War started, he sided with the rebel militia, and was made a captain. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General during the war.

On February 14, 1779, he was part of the militia victory at the Battle of Kettle Creek in Georgia.

Pickens was captured at the Siege of Charleston in 1780. He and three hundred of his men went home to sit out the war on parole. Pickens' parole did not last however. After raiders destroyed most of his property and frightened his family, he informed the British that they had violated the terms of parole and rejoined the war.

Pickens was soon operating in the Ninety-Six District. During this period of the war, Pickens would join Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter as the most well-known partisan leaders in the Carolinas.

He saw action at the Battle of Cowpens, Siege of Augusta, Siege of Ninety-Six, and the Battle of Eutaw Springs.

Pickens also led a campaign in north Georgia against the Cherokee Indians late in the war. His victorious campaign led to the Cherokees ceding significant portions of land between the Savannah and Chattachoochee rivers in the Long Swamp Treaty signed in what is currently Pickens County, Georgia. Pickens was well regarded by Native Americans that he dealt with and was given the name Skyagunsta, "The Wizard Owl."

Cowpens, South Carolina: January 17, 1781:

At the Battle of Cowpens, Brig. General Daniel Morgan gave Pickens command of the militia, which played a key role in the battle. On the evening of January 16, Morgan personally instructed the militia to hold its ground while firing two rounds and then retreat. On the morning of January 17, Pickens and the militia carried out the plan perfectly, which led the British commander, Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton, to believe that the militia was fleeing. The British blindly charged ahead and were drawn into a double flanking movement and were soundly defeated. Following the Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina Governor John Rutledge promoted Pickens to Brigadier General. He would also be awarded a sword by the U.S. Congress.

Augusta, Georgia: May 22-June 5, 1781:

Pickens' militia was soon recalled to defend their own homes and so he missed the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781. In April, he raised a regiment of state regulars. In May 1781, Maj. General Nathanael Greene sent Pickens and Lt. Colonel Henry Lee to support Elijah Clarke in operations against Augusta, Georgia. The siege began on May 22 and, after maneuvering, the Patriots secured outposts and cut off British reinforcements. British Colonel Thomas Brown surrendered Augusta on June 5, 1781.

Ninety-Six, South Carolina: May 22-June 19, 1781:

Following the surrender of Augusta, Pickens and Lt. Colonel Lee joined General Greene in his siege at Ninety-Six, South Carolina. Greene had begun his siege on May 22, 1781, the same day that Augusta had been besieged. On June 11, Greene ordered Pickens and Lt. Colonel William Washington to aid Thomas Sumter in blocking a relief column led by Lord Rawdon. However, Sumter instead moved to Fort Granby, allowing Rawdon to make his way to Ninety-Six. On June 19, Greene had to give up the siege and retreat after a failed assault.

Gen. Pickens married Rebecca Calhoun in 1765. They had 12 children, including Andrew Pickens, Jr. who later became governor of South Carolina. He was also an uncle of Floride Calhoun, the wife of U. S. Congressman and Secretary of War John C. Calhoun. Pickens was a 7th great grandfather of former Senator and 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards.

Andrew Pickens died near Tamassee, South Carolina in Oconee County, on August 11, 1817. He is buried at Old Stone Church Cemetery in Clemson, South Carolina.

Fort Pickens in Florida is named in his honor as is Pickens County, Alabama, Pickens County, Georgia, and the city of Pickens and Pickens County in his adopted home state of South Carolina. He is also the namesake of Pickens High School.

Pickens and his actions served as one of the sources for the fictional character of Benjamin Martin (played by Mel Gibson) in "The Patriot", a motion picture released in 2000.

See "The Fighting Elder: Andrew Pickens, 1739-1817"; by Alice Waring; 1962; University of South Carolina Press.

General Andrew Pickens in his letter to General Lee in 1811 made the following statement: "My father and mother came from Ireland. My father's progenitors emigrated from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes." (Appendix No. I). There seems to be some support for the claim that one ROBERT PICON, a scotchman or Briton at the court of France was a Protestant who fled from Scotland in 1661 to avoid persecution of Charles II. He may have gone to France in the days when there was a close alliance between Scotland and France. In France he is said to have married Madam Jean Bonneau, also a Protestant. They fled France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685, annulling all privledges granted to Protestants by his grandfather Henry IV. Tradition continues that they went to Scotland, later to North Ireland. There they not only found blood kinsmen of the Picken family, but also more liberty for dissenters than in Scotland. Many French Huguenots found refuge in North Ireland, among their religious kinsmen, the Presbyterians.

Miss Eliza Pickens, great grandaughter of General Andrew Pickens in a paper prepared for D.A.R. said: "General Andrew Pickens first home was in Buck's Co. Penn. The Pickens were French Huguenots and left France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685. General Picken's great grandfather, ROBERT PICKENS held a good position in France and with every inducement to remain. He refused to live under Roman Catholic rule. He married an accomplished young widow, Madam Bonneau."

General Andrew Pickens stated that he was born in Paxton township, Lancaster County, Penn. This is the present Dauphin County. Both his father Andrew Pickens, and his Uncle John Pickens were in Lancaster county. A petition signed by "sundry inhabitants of Chester and Lancaster for a road from Jno. Harris's ferry, to Edw'd Kennison Plantation in the Great Valley" was delivered by E. Shippen and J. Harris, May 21, 1735. It was signed by 125 citizens including: John Pickens, Andrew Pickens, John Kerr, David Kerr, James Kerr and others. Records in Augusta county, VA. also prove that John Pickens was from Lancaster Co. Penn.

Andrew Pickens was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on September 19, 1739. Like many of the Scots-Irish1, Andrew and his family moved south, traveling the Great Wagon Road2 in search of new land. Records show they lived first in Augusta County in the Shenandoah3 Valley of Virginia, later in the Waxhaw4 settlement along the North Carolina-South Carolina border, and, eventually, in the Long Cane5 settlement in Abbeville County, South Carolina, bordering Georgia.

It was in the Long Canes that young Andrew Pickens would marry and begin a family. He not only farmed and raised cattle as many of the other Scots-Irish; he became acquainted with his Indian neighbors through a prosperous trading business. As the American Revolution approached feelings were strong in the South from the start, its inhabitants split between Patriots6 and Loyalists7 (or Whigs and Tories). Pickens, as many of his Scots-Irish neighbors, was an ardent Patriot.

It was in the Long Canes, too, that he emerged as a military leader, first in expeditions against the Cherokee, who had allied with the Loyalists in hopes of retaining their lands. In 1779, Pickens was to distinguish himself in a Revolutionary War battle. That year, British commander Sir Henry Clinton sent British soldiers to South Carolina and North Georgia to encourage Loyalist support. Colonel Pickens and his three-hundred man militia, in efforts to aid the Patriot cause, overtook and defeated a much larger force of 700-800 men under Colonel Boyd at Kettle Creek in North Georgia just south of the Long Canes.

The victory at Kettle Creek slowed the recruitment of Loyalists, but by 1780, the British dominated as they took Charleston, captured the southern continental army, and swept inland from coastal Carolina. The situation looked gloomy -- so much so -that Pickens and other militia leaders surrendered to the British, and, on oath, agreed to sit out the war under British protection.

Pickens’ parole was not to last, however. When Tory raiders destroyed much of his property and frightened his family, he gathered his militia once again and resumed guerilla activities against the British. He was soon to play a key role in defeating British Colonel Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens, January 17, 1781. The victory came at a crucial time for Patriots in the South who had been repeatedly forced to retreat. Andrew Pickens, who with his militia, arrived as reinforcements, urged Morgan to make a stand. According to one source, Pickens offered to stand alone with his militia if necessary.

Morgan was convinced to make a stand and relied heavily on Pickens’ militia in the ensuing battle. The militia, in fact, got off two shots before their planned retreat, something not done in previous battles, and reformed to help envelop the enemy. The bravery of the militia, combined with the well-disciplined Continental troops and William Washington’s cavalry, won the day in the battle that turned the tide for American forces in the south.

After the Revolution, Pickens acquired land in frontier South Carolina on the banks of the Keowee River, across from the old Cherokee town of Seneca. There, he built a house he called Hopewell and lived life as part of the backcountry elite. There, too, he served as a political middleman between the Cherokees and the new American nation and sympathized with Indian causes in his later years. Andrew Pickens borrowed heavily from Cherokee warfare skills and used those skills in partisan warfare including the courageous and brilliant victory at Cowpens. For his "spirited conduct" at Cowpens, the Continental Congress presented Pickens with a sword and the State of South Carolina promoted him to Brigadier-General in the state militia.

Andrew Pickens (September 13, 1739 – August 11, 1817) was a militia leader in the American Revolution and a member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina.

Pickens was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the son of Scots-Irish immigrants, Andrew Pickens, Sr. and Anne (née Davis). His paternal great-grandparents were Huguenots Robert Andrew Pickens (Robert André Picon) and Esther-Jeanne, widow Bonneau, of South Carolina and La Rochelle, France.[1]

In 1752 his family moved to the Waxhaws on the South Carolina frontier. He sold his farm there in 1764 and bought land in Abbeville County, South Carolina, near the Georgia border.

He established the Hopewell Plantation on the Seneca River, at which several treaties with Native Americans were held, each called the Treaty of Hopewell. Just across the river was the Cherokee town of Isunigu ("Seneca"). Andrew Pickens' grave marker at Old Stone Church cemetery Military career

He served in the Anglo-Cherokee War in 1760–1761. When the Revolutionary War started, he sided with the rebel militia, and was made a captain. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General during the war.

On February 14, 1779, he was part of the militia victory at the Battle of Kettle Creek in Georgia.

Pickens was captured at the Siege of Charleston in 1780. He saw action at the Battle of Cowpens, Siege of Augusta, Siege of Ninety Six, and the Battle of Eutaw Springs.

Pickens also led a campaign in north Georgia against the Cherokee Indians late in the war. His victorious campaign led to the Cherokees ceding significant portions of land between the Savannah and Chattachoochee rivers in the Long Swamp Treaty signed in what is currently Pickens County, Georgia. Pickens was well regarded by Native Americans that he dealt with and was given the name Skyagunsta, "The Wizard Owl."

He and three hundred of his men went home to sit out the war on parole.

Pickens' parole did not last, however. After Tory raiders destroyed most of his property and frightened his family, he informed the British that they had violated the terms of parole and rejoined the war. During this period of the war, Pickens would join Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter as the most well-known partisan leaders in the Carolinas. Sumter also resumed fighting under similar circumstances. Pickens was soon operating in the Ninety Six District.

Cowpens, South Carolina: Jan. 17, 1781:

At the Battle of Cowpens, Brig. General Daniel Morgan gave Pickens command of the militia, which played a key role in the battle. On the evening of January 16, Morgan personally instructed the militia to hold its ground while firing two rounds and then retreat. On the morning of January 17, Pickens and the militia carried out the plan perfectly, which led Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton and British to believe that the militia was fleeing. The British blindly charged ahead and were drawn into a double flanking and soundly defeated. Following Cowpens, South Carolina Governor John Rutledge promoted Pickens to brigadier general. He would also be awarded a sword by Congress.

Augusta, Georgia: May 22-June 5, 1781:

Pickens' militia was soon recalled to defend their own homes and so he missed the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781. In April, he raised a regiments of state regulars. In May 1781, Maj. General Nathanael Greene sent Pickens and Lt. Colonel Henry Lee to support Elijah Clarke in operations against Augusta, Georgia. The siege began on May 22 and after maneuvering, securing outposts and the cutting off of reinforcements by the Patriots, Colonel Thomas Brown surrendered Augusta on June 5, 1781.

Ninety Six, South Carolina: May 22-June 19, 1781:

Following the surrender of Augusta, Pickens and Lt. Colonel Lee joined General Greene in his siege at Ninety Six, South Carolina. Greene had begun his siege on May 22, 1781, the same day that Augusta had been besieged. On June 11, Greene ordered Pickens and Lt. Colonel William Washington to aid Thomas Sumter in blocking a relief column led by Lord Rawdon. However, Sumter instead moved to Fort Granby, allowing Rawdon to make his way to Ninety Six. On June 19, Greene had to give up the siege and retreat after a failed assault.

Revolutionary hero Andrew Pickens - plaque at the South Carolina statehouse Family

He married Rebecca Floride Calhoun in 1765. They had 12 children, including Andrew Pickens who later became governor of South Carolina. He was also an uncle of Floride Calhoun, the wife of John C. Calhoun.

Andrew Pickens died near Tamassee, South Carolina, in Oconee County, on Aug. 11, 1817. He is buried at Old Stone Church Cemetery in Clemson, South Carolina. Memorials

Fort Pickens in Florida is named in his honor as is Pickens County, Alabama; Pickens County, Georgia; and Pickens and Pickens County in his adopted home state of South Carolina.

Pickens was a 7th great grandfather of former Senator and 2004 presidential candidate John Edwards.

He is also the namesake of Pickens High School. He is a very huge part of the "South" history. The Patriot

Pickens and his actions served as one of the sources for the fictional character of Benjamin Martin in The Patriot, a motion picture released in 2000